Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Pharmacy - Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Oxytocin (OXT) {u2013} 2the love hormone3{u2013} has been involved in the anti-depressant activity of some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This study aimed to investigate the effect of the OXT analogue, carbetocin (CBT), (100 og/animal/day via inhalation route), and, the SSRI, escitalopram (ESCIT), (20 mg kg-1, po) maternal-separation (MS)-induced depression in adolescent Wistar albino rats. The treatments were given either alone or in combination for 7 days.Repeated 3-h MS demonstrated increased immobility time in forced swim test (FST) and decreased locomotor activity in open field test. MS elevated plasma level of adrenocortico-trophic hormone (ACTH) but notably reduced plasma OXT, with no effect on hippocampal OXT-R expression. Following MS, hippocampal contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors (5HT1A-R), serotonin transporter (SERT), and phosphorylated protein kinase B (P-AKT) were increased while phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases(PI3K), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) were decreased. CBT and ESCIT corrected the behavioral dysfunction in FST and suppressed the high levels of ACTH. Additionally, both treatments boosted OXT level, reduced 5HT1A-R and normalized SERT contents, which reflects increased availability of serotonin

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